Wednesday, July 20 2005 20:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court today (July 20, 2005) set aside the acquittal of a Socialist Unity enter of India (SUCI) legislator Probodh Purkait by a lower court and awarded him and four others life imprisonment for the murder of two persons, twenty years ago.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Alok Kumar Basu and Justice Pranab Kumar Deb set aside the acquittal of Purkait and four others by Alipore Sessions Court and convicted them in the murder of Abdur Rehman Mollah and Abdur Rehman Laskar at Kultali in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on January 15, 1985.

As per the case, Purkait led a mob of 200 to 250 persons armed with lethal weapons to raid the house of both Mollah and Laskar and lynched them. The attackers also severely assaulted the wives and children of the victims. A distant relative of Purkait was also attacked by the mob.

Purkait was re-elected from Kultali constituency as a candidate of SUCI, which has two members in the state Assembly.